Inadequate essential fatty acid intake can be dangerous to your health, (and kill you). How do you find good Omega 3 sources?

It is now becoming widely known that Omega 3 fatty acids, or what are sometimes called essential fatty acids or n-3 fatty acids are extremely important to your health. So let’s have a look for some good Omega3 sources.

Studies have consistently shown over the last several decades that the average American diet is deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids. These are primarily found in fish and other seafoods, although it is possible also to source omega 3 unsaturated fatty acids from other sources such as plants and animals.

As our diets lean more towards red meats and processed foods and are less comprised of vegetarian sources and are lower in fish and seafood our intake of omega 3 fatty acids reduces and our intake of Omega 6 fats increases.

The benefits of omega-3 fats to our health are well documented, being supported by much research in many studies which have established that a diet low in essential fatty acids has various health risks including increasing the risk of death from heart attack.

There are a number of different omega 3 fats. Most common of these, and the most important polyunsaturated essential fats that offer us benefits to our health, are DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). Also well-known although offering less benefits to our health is ALA (alpha-linolenic acid or a-linolenic acid) which is a plant-based Omega 3 fat. ALA sources include flaxseeds and other plant sources.

The reason that ALA is much less important to our health is that it must be converted to DHA and EPA in the body to be useful, and it is only converted in small quantities.

Over the last century our diet has changed dramatically. We have begun to consume much higher quantities of sugar, salt and fat and processed foods and much lower quantities of fruit, vegetables and fish. The result is that our diet has changed to the point where it is now deficient in DHA and EPA which we previously got from eating fish.

There have also been other changes in our diet, and also in sources of Omega3. For instance in the past beef was a good source of essential fatty acids, however in the past our animals were grass fed. As our modern animal rearing methods change from grass feeding to grain feeding the amount of omega 3 sourced in beef has reduced.

The same applies to other essential fatty acids sources such as eggs.

There are also fatty acids known as Omega 6 fatty acids. In the past our diet, comprised of more vegetarian sources and lower in fats, particularly saturated fats, had a ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 intake of roughly around 1 to 1. In other words we are roughly as much omega 3 as Omega 6.

However Omega 6 is present in a wide range of oils now commonly used in processed foods and cooking, such as sunflower oil, safflower oil and corn oil, and therefore our intake of Omega 6 fats has increased, and our intake of Omega3 fats has decreased, meaning that we are now consuming far too much Omega 6 and not enough Omega3. This has serious health implications.

It is quite clear that we should be increasing our intake of the most important polyunsaturated fatty acids. There is clear evidence that increasing our intake of omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk of a wide range of health problems.

So what are the best Omega 3 sources? Or what are the best sources of essential fatty acids DHA and EPA? The answer is fish and seafoods generally, (and now also high quality Omega 3 supplements).

Our bodies are unable to make DHA and EPA themselves. Therefore our supplies of DHA and EPA must come from our diet. There are no plant sources from which we can obtain significant amounts of DHA and EPA, and other Omega3 sources such as meat and eggs now only have small amounts.

This is now recognized by mainstream medical organizations such as the American Heart Association which recommends dietary minimum levels of DHA and EPA from eating more fish or by taking fish oil supplements.

It’s quite possible to increase your intake of omega 3 fatty acids by increasing your intake of fish, particularly oily fish. However many families find that fish is too expensive, and fish is also, in many cases, contaminated with low levels of industrial chemicals such as PCBs and pesticides. For this reason the FDA recommends that we do not eat too much fish.

This is a conundrum given that there are clear health benefits, particularly a reduction in the risk of heart disease, if we eat fish.

There are excellent omega 3 supplements available and for most people these are the best food sources of essential fatty acids on a daily basis. The best of these fish oil capsules (though not all) are free of industrial chemicals and are a cost-effective way of daily supplementing our diet with DHA and EPA.

And for vegetarians it is possible to get omega 3 supplements made from marine algae, another marine source of Omega 3. Read the rest of this entry

Now we know how good Omega 3 fats are for our health, what are good Omega 3 sources?

It is now firmly established that increasing our intake of Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is a very good for our health. And so, as people become aware of this, they start to search for good Omega 3 sources. Let’s examine all dietary sources of Omega 3 fatty acids so that you can decide how to add some more healthy polyunsaturated fats into your diet.

Firstly we need to understand that Omega 3 fats are not just one fat. There are in fact a number of different Omega 3 polyunsaturated fats and they have different sources. Probably the most important of these is DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid). DHA is found through our bodies but in particular is a major component of the fats that make up our brain. Increasing our intake of DHA is one of the most important goals when we are seeking to increase our intake of healthy polyunsaturated fats.

Secondly is the Omega 3 fat EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid). This is also very important to our health but less so than DHA.

And thirdly comes an Omega 3 fat called ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid). This is less important to our health and the other 2 Omega 3 fats for one particular reason. ALA is not synthesised directly into our body but is of benefit to our body because it can be converted into DHA. This is of course useful as it increases our supply of DHA however our body is only able convert ALA in limited amounts. Estimates range from 5 percent to 25 percent of ALA that is eaten can be converted into DHA.

Obviously, if only a small percentage of the ALA that we ingest ultimately becomes available to our body it is not as useful as the other 2.

And there are more Omega 3 fats. For example there is one called DPA, however there is only limited research done of the health benefits of DPA to date.

Therefore, for the average person, the search for good dietary sources of Omega3 fats comes down to the search for sources of DHA and EPA.

However there are special considerations for vegetarians and we shall consider those shortly.

So what are good DHA sources and EPA sources? Basically this comes down to fish. Fish eat various forms of microscopic algae, amongst other things, and micro algae has the 2 most important Omega 3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, and so these are present in the oil of the fish that has eaten it. It is really only fish that are able to produce substantial sources of these 2 essential fatty acids in any quantity.

That is why the initial studies done some decades ago that started to establish the health giving properties of Omega 3 fats were done on Eskimos. Eskimos eat a large amount of fish and it was found that they were particularly healthy.

They had very low rates of many of the lifestyle diseases that afflict so many people in the US such as heart disease and others and this was linked to their intake of Omega 3 fatty acids from their diet high in fish.

So the best Omega 3 sources for anyone seeking to increase their intake of healthy polyunsaturated fats is to eat fish. Unfortunately there is a problem with this. The American Heart Association recognizes the importance of increasing our intake of fish and recommends that we do so however the FDA also warns that fish is contaminated with toxins such as Mercury and therefore we ought not eat too much fish.

So we have a conundrum. We are told to eat more fish because fish are good Omega3 sources and we are also told to eat less fish because fish are contaminated. What do we do?

The only way to safely and effectively a good food sources of Omega 3 fats to our diet is to increase our intake of fish oil using high quality fish oil supplements. The very best fish oil supplements are not contaminated with Mercury or any of the other contaminants found in fish. Note that not all fish oil supplements are good.

Now let’s examine the issue as it relates to vegetarians. Some vegetarians choose to eat fish and some choose not to eat fish. Obviously those who choose to eat fish would also be happy to take daily fish oil supplements and therefore they overcome the problem of finding good clean Omega3 sources in the same way as the rest of us.

However for those vegetarians who cannot eat fish there is a particular problem. Obviously they cannot take regular fish oil supplements as the rest of us can. What can they do?

It is possible to get Omega 3 supplements using the same Omega3 sources as fish use. Fish eat micro algae and convert this into DHA and EPA. It is now possible to get Omega 3 supplements that are made from micro algae that a good EPA and DHA sources.

And of course none of us are restricted to merely taking fish oil supplements. There is more that we can do to increase our intake of Omega3 fats. There are good plant based dietary sources of Omega3 fats even though they are ALA. It is better to eat vegetables and other food sources of Omega 3 fats than not to do so even know increasing our intake of ALA is not as effective as taking fish oil.

Here are some good plant sources of Omega 3 fats. Canola oil. Flax seed oil. Soy beans and soy bean oil. Olive oil. Walnuts and pumpkin seeds. And flax seed oil supplements.

Traditionally meat and eggs have also been good sources of Omega 3 fats however modern intensive farming practices such as grain feeding have reduced the incidence of good polyunsaturated healthy fats in meat and eggs.

So as you can see there are plenty of good Omega 3 sources. The best way to get safe daily doses of the 2 most important fats is to take the highest quality Omega three supplements. However you can also add some extra foods to your diet to increase your intake of other Omega3 fats.

However is important to understand that not all fish oil supplements are the same and that are a wide range of reasons the best fish oil supplements are both more effective and better value than many of the others. Read the rest of this entry